The Broken Queen
by xXJennJennXx
Summary: After Marceline is forced to take responsibility for her kingdom, she falls back into destructive habits and the arms of her ex-boyfriend, Ash. Upon discovering that she is pregnant, Marceline finds herself in the middle of political betrayal, murder, and a love triangle that may spell the end of life in Ooo as she knows it. Rated M for language,violence,drugs, & sexuality.
1. Chapter 1

Marceline Abadeer's eyes fluttered open to the faint rays of sunlight streaming into the small bedroom she shared with her boyfriend, Ash. Wrapping a thin blanket around her slender form to protect herself from the sun, Marceline glanced around the room, looking for the shirt she had discarded the night before. Upon finding it and discovering that Ash had torn most of the buttons off while undressing her, Marceline threw it on the floor and floated out of the room. She had more important things to worry about than getting dressed.

"Hey Mar-Mar," Ash said, standing up from the kitchen table. The wizard put his arms around Marceline's waist. "You're getting fat, babe. Lay off the red today."

Marceline froze, and her face lost what little color it had. She had known that she was pregnant for nearly two months now, but had assumed that she could avoid telling Ash for a little while longer.

"I guess today is as good a day as any," Marceline thought. "And tonight is the Festival of Kingdoms, and Ash should be in a good mood. He loves festivals. I can tell him when we get home and he won't be too angry with me. He may even be hap-"

Marceline was snapped out of her thoughts by Ash roughly grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him.

"Did you hear me, you cow? I said to lay off the red today."

"I-I heard you, Ash," Marceline whispered.

"Good girl," he replied, roughly pinching the vampire queen's nipple.

Ash sat back down at the table, where he opened a small plastic bag of white powder and poured a bit onto Marceline's makeup mirror. Using a razorblade, Ash sorted the powder into thin lines and lowered his head to the mirror. Marceline walked out of the kitchen and into the small bathroom so she didn't have to see the blood trickle from her boyfriend's nose.

As soon as the bathroom door was shut behind her, Marceline sunk to the floor and buried her face in her knees. As much as she had tried to convince herself that Ash would be okay with her pregnancy, she knew that he would be furious. He had made it clear that he hated children.

Marceline couldn't quite remember having unprotected sex with Ash, but she wasn't surprised. Shortly after they had gotten back together, Marceline had developed a taste for the alcohol and hard drugs that Ash brought into their home. She chalked up her newfound interests to the stress of ruling the Vampire Kingdom, but, in reality, Marceline needed an escape from Ash's harsh words and violent outbursts. It was easier for the queen to submit to Ash's will when she was less aware of the world around her.

"Get your fat ass out here, Marceline! I'm hungry," Ash yelled from the kitchen.

Marceline sighed and stood up. She went to her bedroom to find some clothes that would hide the small bump on her stomach, and steeled herself for the day that was to come.

Later that evening, Marceline floated in front of her dingy full-length mirror as she tried to decide what outfit to wear to the Festival of Kingdoms. Although Marceline had never been the kind of person to worry about her appearance, Ash has laid down a strict set of rules regarding what she was and was not allowed to wear when they went out in public. He forbade Marceline from showing too much of her body, while insisting that she still look sexy. It was even worse when Marceline was expected to appear in a royal capacity, like at tonight's festival.

The Festival of Kingdoms was a highly anticipated yearly event. The royalty of every kingdom in Ooo, along with many of their citizens, traveled to the Candy Kingdom's fairgrounds, where they would showcase examples of local food, music, dancing, and art. On the third day, Princess Bubblegum hosted a meeting where treaties were renewed and alliances were strengthened. After the political business was attended to, nearly everyone gathered in the Candy Castle's ballroom to dance, eat and drink well into the next morning.

Marceline had never attended the festival as the Vampire Kingdom's ruler, but recently she had been forced to take on the official responsibilities that she had ignored for nearly a two hundred years. After a misunderstanding between a vampire and a high ranking member of the Flame Kingdom's congress ended in a skirmish that caused the death of fifty-three men, Marceline recognized the growing need for an active leader. She had made her best efforts to be responsible and stop acting like a teenager. So far, Marceline had drafted a treaty between the vampires and the people of the Fire Kingdom that was to be signed on the last day of the festival, and she felt that her efforts had somewhat paid off.

Marceline finally settled on a demure red sundress, which she spread out on the small, unmade bed. She was putting on a bit of makeup when the bathroom door opened and Ash stepped out. He walked over to the closet, throwing his wet towel on the bed as he went by.

"Cute dress, Mar-Mar," Ash remarked.

Marceline smiled and stepped into the dress. While smoothing out the wrinkles, Marceline let her hand linger on her stomach.

"It will be okay. Mama promises," Marceline whispered to her reflection. She couldn't quite shake the feeling that, although her words were right, she didn't believe what she was saying.

A few moments later, Marceline was burying her face into Ash's neck as they soared through the sky. Nearly everyone now used the automobiles that Princess Bubblegum had reproduced using pre-Mushroom War designs, but Marceline much preferred the intimacy of flying above the world in Ash's arms. Before long, the twinkling lights from the carnival were below them, and Ash began to float closer to the ground.

Marceline and Ash wove through the crowd hand in hand, taking in the sights and sounds of the festival. Marceline was pleased to see that Flame Princess, who had risen in rank to the Flame Queen after her father's death, had decided to attend the festival along with many of her citizens.

"Ash, may I go speak to Flame Queen about the treaty?" Marceline asked.

"Sure babe," he replied. "I'll be at the Emerald Kingdom's booth."

Marceline approached Flame Queen and gently touched the fiery woman's shoulder.

"Oh, hello Marceline. You look…lovely," the Flame Queen sneered.

"I was just thinking the same about you!" Marceline replied, cringing at the fake sugar

she had forced into her voice. "My subjects and I are very happy to be forming a bond with the Fire Kingdom."

"Likewise," the Flame Queen said, turning around just in time to see a small creature made of fire approaching a display of woven grass wreaths made by the citizens of the Grass Nation. "Flambo, no! Look, I have to go."

Marceline waved the queen away to deal with Flambo's curiosity and turned to see her friend Finn the human standing behind her

"Boo!" He shouted.

Marceline jumped, then smiled at Finn. He had grown quite considerably, both physically and in maturity, since their first meeting six years ago when Finn was a twelve year old boy.

"What's up, dweeb?" Marceline asked.

"Not much, just looking around for Jake and Lady Rainicorn. They were chasing after the kids and we got separated." Finn looked behind Marceline. "Is Ash here?"

"Yeah, he should be around here somewhere."

"Oh," Finn replied, disappointed. He hadn't been fond of Ash since the incident in which he had tricked the heroes into entering Marceline's memory core in order to make her forget that they had broken up. "How have things been going?"

"Uh, great," Marceline said, casting her eyes to the ground as she remembered the things Ash had said to her throughout the day.

Finn leaned close to his friend. "Marcy, tell me the truth. Is something wrong?"

"Well…Finn, it's complicated. Ash is a good guy…but helping me run the Vampire Kingdom has been stressing him out and…" Marceline trailed off when she noticed Finn's eyes get wide.

"What's going on, babe?" Ash asked, an obvious edge to his voice. "I thought I told you not to speak to _humans._"

"You did Ash, I'm sorry," Marceline said.

Ash roughly grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. Finn looked on helplessly as Ash twisted Marceline's arm. She was looking up at him with fear in her eyes. Finn could tell that she was apologizing, and he started to go after them, but by the time he could make his body move, they were already lost in the crowd.

"How dare you embarrass me like that?" Ash hissed in Marceline's ear. "Stop apologizing and smile you dumb cunt, people are staring. We're going home. Ashicus Flyicus!"

Marceline clung to Ash as he took off into the night. She internally scolded herself for even talking to Finn. Ash had told her over and over again that mortal beings were beneath them, and they were, but Finn was…different. He had been her friend when everyone else was too scared to see past her fangs.

Ash floated to the ground and pushed Marceline away. She stumbled to the ground, and floated after her boyfriend.

"Ash, please. Don't be angry…"

Ash spun around and grabbed Marceline by the collar of her dress.

"Are you fucking him? Is that why you always want to be around him?"

"No," Marceline said. "I would never do that, Ash. I love you"

"I love you too, Mar-Mar. That's why I have to yell sometimes. I'm just watching out for you." The wizard hugged Marceline close to him and stroked her hair. "Now promise me that you won't pull stupid shit like again, okay?"

"Okay," Marceline said meekly.

Ash smiled. "Now go inside and make me a sandwich, then go on in the bedroom. I'll be in soon."

Marceline made Ash's sandwich and then went to get ready for bed as instructed. She put on a simple lace nightgown, and climbed underneath the blankets. Her head was pounding, and a light bruise was already forming at her wrist. She buried her face in her pillow, and briefly wondered if she should still tell Ash about the baby. Running her hand across her stomach, Marceline realized there was no point in putting it off another day. Ash found something to be angry about every day; it would useless to try to wait until he was in the perfect mood.

After a few minutes, Marceline heard the door open. Ash slid into bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Mar-Mar," he whispered.

"I'm sorry too, Ash. Look I have something to tell you. I-"

"Shhh. Tell me later."

Ash began lifting Marceline's nightgown while tugging his pants down. He kissed her neck slowly, and slipped his finger into her thong.

"Ash…No, I need to talk to you," Marceline said.

"It can wait," Ash said, his breath speeding up. He started to spread Marceline's legs, but she pulled away from him.

Marceline stood up ran to the other side of the room.

"Ash, globdammit, I said stop!"

Marceline's body tensed with fear. She had never spoken to Ash like that before.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" Ash asked, advancing towards the cowering woman.

"I don't want to have sex, Ash. I need to talk to you."

"What is so important that you felt the need to talk to me like that?"

Marceline took a deep breath. "Ash, I'm pregnant."

Ash stopped and stared at Marceline. She had backed herself against the bedroom wall, and they stared at each other silently for a few agonizing moments.

"Please don't be mad," she whispered.

Marceline's voice seemed to break the spell over Ash. He rushed forward and grabbed her throat, pinning her against the wall.

"I. Will. Not. Be. A. Father," Ash said, punctuating each word by slamming Marceline's head against the wall.

Marceline began to panic as the world around her dimmed. Ash suddenly released his grip and walked out of the room. Marceline gasped as and filled her lungs with air, then tried her best to crawl back to the bed, but couldn't. She settled for curling up as tightly as she could on the floor. She briefly wondered if Ash had left, but his heavy footsteps in the hall soon provided her with an answer.

Ash was holding a knife from the kitchen. He kneeled on the floor next to Marceline and spread her legs.

"I love you, Mar-Mar," he whispered, "but I'm not having a kid to fuck up everything I've worked for."

Marceline weakly tried to stop Ash, but as soon as she felt the sharp, cold kiss of the knife entering her vagina, she slipped into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed the first chapter. As this story is the first I have wrote in quite a while, any and all feedback would be appreciated! As a reminder, this story contains strong language, violence, sexual situations, and drug abuse.**

* * *

"Are you sure that we should got to Marceline's house if Ash got that mad just because you talked to her?"

"I have to Jake. I have to make sure Marcy's okay."

Finn walked next to his brother and best friend, Jake. They were traveling on the once well-worn path to the Vampire Queen's home, now all but gone since Ash had returned and banned Marceline from associating with mortal beings. Finn had tried to forget about how the wizard had treated his friend during the festival, but he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that Marceline was in danger.

"We'll just look in the windows, make sure nothing's wrong," Finn said. "They won't know we're here."

"Okay, man, but if everything is on the up and up we're getting out of here," Jake replied.

Finn nodded. The continued silently along the path until they came to the mouth of the cave that Marceline had built her home in. Jake looked up at his friend, who tried his best to smile reassuringly. They flattened themselves against the cave's wall, and slowly made their way to the modest house. Finn carefully stepped up to the porch and peeked into the window. The kitchen was empty, as was the living room.

"Stretch up and check the bedroom," Finn whispered.

"No way man," Jake said. "That's like four different kinds of pervy!"

"Dude, please, Marceline was scared of him earlier. Just peek in real quick!"

"Ugh, fine. But you owe me one,"

Jake stretched up to Marceline's second story bedroom window. He looked in the window and glanced around.

"I don't think they're he- Oh my glob!" Jake yelled as he struggled to open the window. "See if you can open the door, something's wrong with Marceline!"

Finn ran around the house and tried to open the heavy front door. When he discovered that it was locked, he pulled his ever-present white hat from his head, wrapped it around his fist, and punched in the window closest to the door. He reached through the broken window and fumbled with the lock, before finally breaking it off the door in a fit of panic.

Finn ran up the stairs, and burst into Marceline's bedroom. She lay on the floor, eyes closed, in a puddle of blood. Finn rushed over to her and held her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth, whispering her name.

"Finn? What's wrong with her?" Jake asked.

"She's hurt, bad," Finn said, struggling to keep his voice even. "We have to get her out of here. Princess Bubblegum will know what to do."

"Get on my back; we can be there in a few minutes."

Finn placed Marceline in Jake's arms and climbed on his back. Jake began to run, stretching himself with every step. He could feel Marceline struggling to breathe and he pushed himself to go faster.

The banana guards stationed outside of Princess Bubblegum's castle started to pull out their swords when they saw the large dog hurdling towards them, but stepped aside once they recognized the young heroes. Jake ran straight to the Princess' lab, where she had been tirelessly working on a pyrotechnic show for the festival. Tearing open the door, the dog gently placed Marceline on the table and stooped to the ground so that Finn could climb down from his back.

"PB, you have to save her," Finn sobbed.

Princess Bubblegum stood up from the table she had been working on and stared at the scene before her. Jake was panting and shaking all over. Finn was sobbing and standing over Marceline, who was still bleeding profusely.

Finn looked up at Princess Bubblegum with fury in his eyes.

"I said save her," he roared.

Finn's anger made Bubblegum realize the seriousness of the situation. She yelled for Peppermint Butler, who had been eavesdropping outside her door.

"Go get Doctor Princess. Run," she ordered. "Jake, in the cabinet over there should be black medical kit. Get it for me and then take Finn out of here."

Jake sprinted to the cabinet and found the medical bag, which he threw to Princess Bubblegum. He then took Finn's hand, and gently led the boy out of the lab and down to the castle's sitting room.

"It'll be okay, buddy," Jake promised. He could only hope that he was telling the truth.

Finn walked over to the window and stared out at the candy village below. He couldn't help but feel that Marceline's injuries were his fault. He had seen how angry Ash was, but he hadn't stopped him from leaving with her. He hadn't even tried. He had convinced himself to stay out of their business, and all it had done was cause Marceline pain.

Finn and Jake waited in the sitting room for nearly a half an hour. Just when Finn was beginning to pace back and forth, Princess Bubblegum opened the door with a grim look on her face.

"Is she okay?" Finn nearly yelled.

Princess Bubblegum took a deep breath.

"She's stabilized, but she's not good. Peppermint Butler is with Doctor Princess, but they are held up by traffic from the festival. They should be here soon. Can you tell me what happened, Finn?"

Finn shook his head.

"I don't know exactly, but I was talking to her at the festival and Ash showed up and he was angry and he was twisting her arm, but then he flew away and I don't know why he would hurt her," Finn said, running out of breath.

"Well, I'm sure she'll be awake soon, and then she can tell us," Princess Bubblegum squeezed Finn's hand. "Finn, you can go see her now. I'm going to speak with Jake for a bit and then I'll be right up."

Finn nearly ran out the door.

"What's up that you couldn't tell Finn about, PB?" Jake asked.

"Marceline is pregnant," she replied. "My best guess is that Ash found out, or she told him, and he tried to abort the fetus."

"Tried?" Jake asked.

"Yes, the fetus is still alive, but I doubt that Marceline will be able to carry it to term. She's incredibly weak. To be honest, she wouldn't make it through the night if it wasn't for the fact that she's immortal." Princess Bubblegum said, sinking into an armchair and slipping of her glasses. "Go on up and be with Finn. Doctor Princess should be here shortly."

Jake obeyed the princess and went up to the lab. He eased the door open, and saw Marceline lying on a cot. Princess Bubblegum had set up an IV system to replace the blood that Marceline had lost, and had run a tube down her throat to help her breath. Finn was sitting by the cot, holding Marceline's hand.

"I'm so sorry," Finn whispered. "I'm sorry."

Jake walked into the room, and gently pulled Finn away from the cot.

"C'mon, dude, sit down. I need to talk to you," Jake said. "About Marcy."

The dog led his friend to a chair, sat him down, and wondered how to tell the naïve boy what Princess Bubblegum had said.

Elsewhere, in a small bar in the outskirts of the Candy Kingdom, Ash drained a fifth glass of absinthe and asked for another. He kept telling himself that he needed to go home, clean up Marceline, and maybe take her to see Doctor Princess, but he couldn't convince himself to stand up. He was lost in thought when he heard someone clear their throat next to him.

"Huh?" Ash looked around, his eyes finally settling on a small red and white man sitting next to him. "Oh, hello Peppermint. What's up?"

"Your girlfriend is in the Candy Castle. The Bubblegum bitch was fixing her up. From what I can tell, she's pregnant."

"Marceline? How'd she get to the castle?"

"Finn and Jake brought her in," Peppermint Butler replied. "How fucking irresponsible are you, getting her knocked up? You know that an heir to her throne could ruin everything we've worked for!"

"It's not like I meant to!" Ash whispered fiercely. "Besides, I thought I had taken care of it! I tried to abort the damn thing!"

"On the bedroom floor? You better be glad she's immortal. If she had died as a result of you playing surgery, if she died before you finally got the balls to marry her, we'd never rise to power!" Peppermint Butler struggled to keep his voice down.

"We'll she can't die, so we have nothing to worry about," Ash said, turning away from the other man and holding up his glass for another drink.

"Dammit Ash, listen to me!" Peppermint Butler nearly screamed, knocking Ash's glass out of his hand. "Marceline hasn't woken up yet, but when she does, do you think that Bubblegum is just going to let her go back home to you? Do you think that Princess Bubblegum, or Finn and Jake for that matter, are going to let her forget that you stuck a knife up her cunt? You blew it Ash."

"I'll take care of it," Ash said, standing up.

He walked out the door, leaving the candy citizen at the bar shaking his head. Peppermint Butler was over two-thousand years old. He had grown up in the Nightosphere and had worked for years to become Hunson Abadeer's right-hand-man, and had been, at one time, well on his way to being next in line for control of one of the Nightosphere's offshoot communities of the undead.

Until, that is, Hunson fell in love with a human woman. The woman had been a mild annoyance at most for Peppermint Butler; until she had given birth to a half-breed they called Marceline, and moved to the Nightosphere. Peppermint Butler had quickly realized the danger that the child posed to his plans to become a ruler, so he waited until Hunson and his soon-to-be bride had gone on a date before sneaking into the child's room and attempting to smother her with a pillow. His plan had failed, however, and Hunson had banished him from the Nightosphere.

Peppermint Butler had been angry at first, but he quickly adjusted to life in Ooo. He had taken a position as a servant to the Candy Kingdom's royalty, and waited patiently for another opportunity to gain the power he felt he deserved. He heard that Hunson had overthrown the Vampire King and crowned his daughter queen. Although it angered Peppermint Butler, he had chosen to wait for the perfect opportunity to get rid of the half-breed child that had been the root of his problems since her birth.

The perfect opportunity had presented itself nearly ten years ago, when Peppermint Butler had come upon a young wizard, drinking in the very bar in which he now sat. The wizard had been drunk and wanting to tell his story to anyone who would listen. He told of his relationship with a young half-demon woman who ruled over the Vampire Kingdom. She had broken up with him because of a stuffed animal, and he was bitter and angry.

Peppermint Butler had spent the night telling Ash how wonderful it would be to take control of the Vampire Kingdom from the cruel woman who had hurt him. By the time the young wizard had sobered up, he was ready to overthrow Marceline. Together, he and Peppermint Butler devised plans to make Marceline take Ash back, and a few had come close to succeeding. Their best plan involved stealing Marceline's memory of the breakup, but it had been foiled by Finn and Jake.

Their plans became more desperate after a war nearly broke out between the Fire Kingdom and the Vampires. Marceline began making public appearances and, after only a short time, it became obvious that the responsibilities of running a kingdom were weighing heavily on the queen. Peppermint Butler sensed that Marceline would be vulnerable, so he began to put pressure on Ash to repair his broken relationship with the ruler. It wasn't long before Marceline had reunited with Ash, although he would never reveal to Peppermint Butler exactly how he had convinced the queen to forgive him.

But none of that mattered now. Ash had failed to make Marceline his bride, thus losing his right to become the Vampire King should she die. All the dreams Peppermint Butler had clung to, dreams of using Ash to take control of the Vampire Kingdom, a kingdom powerful enough to overthrow the Nightosphere, were gone. Ash kept saying that he would take care of everything, but there was no going back now. Peppermint Butler was tired.

The red and white man slipped off the barstool, out of the bar, and into the cool breeze of a summer night. He gave the street around him a final look, slipped a small pistol out of his pocket, and walked into the alley behind the bar. The bar's kitchen door opened, and a young busboy locked eyes with Peppermint Butler.

"You're not supposed to be back here," the busboy said.

"Oh, I won't be for long," replied Peppermint Butler, the last word muffled as the candy man stuck the pistol in his mouth.

The shot was deafening. Peppermint Butler's soul was leaving his body, rising higher and higher, only to be snatched away by the skeletal man with ram's horns who had haunted the butler for the past few months. The busboy ran inside to call a doctor, unaware that it was already too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Doctor Princess stood outside of the lab-turned-hospital, speaking in hushed tones with the worried Princess Bubblegum.

"Based on a quick examination of the patient, you did an excellent job of keeping her stable," the doctor said. "As a Vampire, it's impossible to kill her without the use of a ceremonial stake, but whoever did this sure came close. Did you catch the aggressor?"

"No," Princess Bubblegum replied. "We think it was her boyfriend, Ash. He was always cruel to her, but she loved him, or at least she tried to convince herself that she did. I begged her to leave him and come to the castle, but she refused. I assumed that he discovered her pregnancy and tried to kill her or the child. Maybe both."

"I would say your right," Doctor Princess said sadly.

"If it's not too much trouble, would you consider staying the night?" Princess Bubblegum asked. "In case there are complications?"

"Sure, Princess," the doctor replied.

"Wonderful! I put Finn and Jake up in my room for the night. They're the ones who brought Marceline in. I'm going to stay with Marceline, and I'll have Peppermint Butler fix up the guest room for you. Have you seen him?" Princess Bubblegum looked around for her servant.

"No," Doctor Princess answered. "After he dropped me off here, he left."

"Oh, no matter," the candy princess said, puzzled. "Come with me, I'll get you settled in."

Princess Bubblegum showed Doctor Princess to the guest room and gave her a pair of pajamas. After she was sure that her guest was comfortable, she went back to her lab. She dragged a recliner from its spot near her bookshelf to Marceline's cot, and settled in for the night. The princess gently took the vampire queen's cold hand and held it against her warm, pink face.

"Oh Marceline," Princess Bubblegum whispered as a single tear slipped from her eye.

She was reminded of her adolescence, and the time she had spent with Marceline as they both struggled to find an identity in the shadows of their fathers' influence. Before long, Princess Bubblegum's thoughts had turned to the many hot summer nights Marceline had spent in her bed: their bodies pressed together, her hand wrapped in the Vampire's hair, and an almost palpable sense of content in the air. They had found happiness in each other, until that is, the Candy King had found out about the relationship.

He had banished Marceline from the kingdom and forbade Princess Bubblegum from seeing her again. Marceline had begged the princess to disobey her father so that they could run away together, but she refused. Her father's health was failing, and he had begun the process of handing the kingdom over to his daughter. Marceline had still refused to accept that the relationship was over and, in a moment of anger that she had regretted for years, Princess Bubblegum had told her former lover that the Candy Kingdom was the only thing that mattered to her, and that she never wanted to see her, or any Vampires, again.

Marceline had run away and not returned to the Candy Kingdom for many years. Upon her return, Princess Bubblegum was heartbroken to find that she was still bitter about the fight, and in no mood to rebuild the friendship they had lost. Over time, Marceline's anger had waned, and the two women formed an uneasy bond. It was a poor replacement for what they had shared during their youth, but it was better than the uncomfortable silence they had shared before.

Marceline had even come to Princess Bubblegum one night, her eyes tired and her hands shaking, for advice about the precarious relations between her kingdom and the Flame people. Rather than advising her, the princess had led her to the bed and undressed her, slowly, savoring the moment because she knew in her heart that it wouldn't last, _couldn't _last. She was tracing her lips along Marceline's stomach when she felt a hand gently push her away.

"No," Marceline had whispered, choking back tears. "That time's over. We can't go back. I-I have to go."

That had been the last time Marceline had visited the castle. Shortly thereafter, Ash had moved in with her and rumors had begun to spread about the queen who often gave slurred speeches from behind dark sunglasses and long sleeves in an attempt to hide the bruises that dotted her pale skin. Princess Bubblegum had sent a few of her best spies to Marceline's home, where they had taken pictures that showed the queen's alcohol and drug abuse, as well as the near torture that Ash put her through every day. Princess Bubblegum had offered to help Marceline, but she was still as stubborn and prideful as ever. She had sent the princess away, a bottle of vodka in her hand, and a sad smirk on her face.

Princess Bubblegum forced herself to stop reliving the past. She reluctantly let go of Marceline's hand and wiped the tears from her face. She closed her eyes, settled back into the recliner, and was sound asleep within seconds.

Outside of her castle, hidden behind a tall hedge, Ash lay in wait. He was studying the banana guards and trying to find a way to get into the castle. He had nearly settled on using a spell to immobilize the guards and then walking right into the castle through the front door, but he couldn't make himself take the first steps. The courage he had felt just a few minutes ago in the tavern was now gone, along with much of the rage he had felt towards Marceline. He was, in fact, starting to regret what he had done to her. Deep down, Ash loved Marceline, but his love was overshadowed by his need for power. The promise of becoming the Vampire King was too great to ignore.

Ash planned on finding Marceline and taking her to the small, dingy apartment that he and Peppermint Butler used as a base of operations. Once she was there, he assumed that his co-conspirator would know what to do. Either way, Ash was confident that Marceline would once again forgive him, even for his latest transgression. After she had time to forget about what had happened, he would ask for her hand in marriage. It was at this point that Ash and Peppermint Butler disagreed: Peppermint Butler wanted to kill Marceline, and Ash wanted to simply strip her of her powers. Ash liked the idea of keeping a powerless Marceline around; he enjoyed the sex and, occasionally, the companionship that she offered. Maybe, after the crown was firmly in his, and Peppermint Butler's, control, he would even allow her to carry his child. It might be nice to have a son.

Ash rose to his feet and pulled his wand from his pocket. Pointing it at the banana guards, he whispered "Guardicus stunicus!" Every banana guard in the kingdom fell to the ground, alive but immobile. Ash slipped his wand into the waistband of his pants, and walked to the heavy, candy-studded doors. He turned the knob, and silently pushed the door open. Slowly, trying not to make much noise, he began searching the castle for his girlfriend. Before long, he nearly ran into a stout cinnamon roll who was carrying tea from the royal kitchen to his room.

"Listen, buddy," Ash said as he pinned the Cinnamon Bun to the wall, "I need you to stay quiet and tell me where Marceline is."

"Who's that?" Cinnamon Bun asked.

"Ugh…She's….Look, just tell me if there's an infirmary? Somewhere that they would keep a sick person?"

"Oh," Cinnamon Bun said, "uhh, Princess Bubblegum's lab! It's down the hall and to the right."

"Thanks. Now be good and go back to bed. Don't tell anyone you saw me, okay?"

"Okay," Cinnamon Bun replied. He turned and continued his way, oblivious to the damage he had just done.

Ash started to put his wand away, but decided that he may need it. He walked carefully to Princess Bubblegum's lab, his heart pounding. He stood in front of the lab's door for a moment, collecting his nerves. When he gathered the courage, he opened the door stepped into the darkened room. After his eyes adjusted, Ash looked around, his eyes settling on Marceline. He hadn't expected to see her hooked to any machines, and for a fleeting moment he wished again that he had never hurt her. His regret quickly turned to panic when he realized that getting Marceline away from the castle would be a much more difficult task then he had originally thought.

Ash went over to the bed, tiptoeing past the sleeping princess. He lifted Marceline's arm and began to pull out the first IV. He was so focused on removing the tubes from his girlfriend's arms that he didn't hear Princess Bubblegum jolt awake behind him.

"Guards!" She yelled. "Finn! Jake! Intruder!"

Ash was startled by the sudden screaming, and he ripped the second IV from Marceline's arm roughly. He was reaching for the breathing tube when Princess Bubblegum roared and jumped on his back. She pounded her small fist into his head, but she was ineffective against the wizard. He threw her off his back and, with a flick of his wand, pinned her against the wall with an invisible barrier. He turned back to Marceline, but was once again interrupted when Finn and Jake burst through the door.

Finn charged at Ash, his sword in front of him.

"I'll kill you!" he yelled.

Ash dodged Finn's sword and pointed his wand at the hero. Finn swung his sword towards Ash's outstretched arm, knocking the wand away and sending the spell intended for him ricocheting across the room and towards Jake. The second that the wave of magic hit Jake's chest, he fell on the floor, paralyzed. Finn looked at his friend, then at Ash's wand, then back at Jake.

Finn and Ash dove for the wand at the same time, but Finn grabbed it first, and snapped the thin piece of wood in half. Ash growled and pinned Finn to the ground by his neck with both hands, strangling the young hero. Finn's vision was getting fuzzy when Ash was thrown off of him by a pink blur. It was Princess Bubblegum; when the wand had broken, the invisible barrier pinning her to the wall disappeared.

Ash was physically stronger than the princess, but she was determined to save her friends. She managed to pin Ash to the floor, but knew that she couldn't hold him down for long. She looked wildly around the room, her eyes finally settling on the hypodermic needle resting on the table next to Marceline's cot. She had laid it out earlier in the night in case Marceline had went into shock, and had forgot to put it away once her condition was stabilized.

Princess Bubblegum reached for the needle while concentrating on keeping Ash subdued. There was a brief and terrifying moment when the princess thought that it was out of her reach, but she stretched a little further and was able to pick it up. She raised it high above her head and tried to plunge it into Ash's neck, but he pushed her away, ran to the open window, and was out of sight in seconds.

Princess Bubblegum dropped her makeshift weapon in disgust, and looked down at the now tattered nightgown she was wearing. She looked around the room, slowly taking in the destruction Ash had caused. Fluid from Marceline's IV was leaking on the floor, mingling with the blood from her arm. Finn was rubbing his bruised throat and kneeling over his Jake. And Jake was lying on the floor, his eyes half open, smiling weakly at Finn.

"It'll be okay, buddy," the dog said, closing his eyes.

The scene in front of her was too much for Princess Bubblegum to take in. She ran into the hallway screaming for someone, _anyone_, to help her.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I am very interested in hearing your reviews, constructive criticism, and thoughts on the direction the story should take.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

_Princess Bubblegum stood up, dropped her makeshift weapon in disgust, and looked down at the now tattered nightgown she was wearing. She looked around the room, slowly taking in the destruction Ash had caused. Fluid from Marceline's IV was leaking on the floor, mingling with the blood from her arm. Finn was rubbing his bruised throat and kneeling over his Jake. And Jake was lying on the floor, his eyes half open, smiling weakly at Finn._

"_It'll be okay, buddy," the dog said, closing his eyes. _

_The scene in front of her was too much for Princess Bubblegum to take in. She ran into the hallway screaming for someone, anyone, to help her._

Doctor Princess rushed down the stairs towards the screaming woman, followed by several Candy servants.

"What happened?" Doctor Princess asked.

"It was Ash. He was here. Doctor, there is a medical situation in the lab I need you to attend to," Princess Bubblegum whispered. Doctor Princess nodded and nearly ran down the hallway. Raising her voice, the princess continued "I want everyone on the lookout for a certain wizard by the name of Ash. I'm sure many of you know him from his recent…appearances with Marceline the Vampire Queen. I want him found and executed before dawn!"

The citizens of the Candy Kingdom were shocked. There hadn't been an execution in the kingdom since before King Bubblegum's time, and an execution without trial was unheard of.

"What did Ash do, your highness?" Mr. Cupcake asked.

"He has caused great destruction in Ooo. He attempted to murder Queen Marceline, twice in this very evening. In his second attempt, he injured our friend Jake the Dog, and, to a much lesser extent, Finn and me. He is to be considered very dangerous, and not to be approached by anyone except the Special Security Agents."

The mention of the Special Security Agents drew another gasp from the small crowd. The SSA was a rarely mentioned group of elite Candy people who had been trained as assassins since birth. They lived a life of luxury with their families in the Candy Castle, and their services were rarely required. Although their existence was common knowledge, it was still a taboo subject for most of the citizens within the kingdom. They didn't like to be reminded that, every now and again, someone had to be murdered to keep everyone else safe.

"I want you all to return to your living quarters," Princess Bubblegum announced. "Doctor Donut and Nurse Pound Cake, would you be as kind as to revive the banana guards?"

"Of course, Princess," the doctor replied.

Princess Bubblegum went upstairs to her room. She rummaged in her closet until she found a pair of thin purple sweatpants and a pink t-shirt. She slipped on the clothes and pulled her hair into a ribbon. After some consideration, she also pulled out a suitcase, along with several outfits. Princess Bubblegum knew that, even if Ash was caught, the candy Kingdom was not a safe place for Marceline at the moment. As soon as the media learned of the events that had unfolded over the past few hours, they would descend onto the castle in a frenzy, and no one in the kingdom would get any peace. And if Ash wasn't caught soon, Princes Bubblegum feared another attack, one that would likely produce far more damage than those before it.

The princess's plan was to announce to the Candy citizens, and the rest of Ooo, a highly abridged account of what had happened while during the night. She would end the announcement by cancelling the rest of the festival, and the royal meeting. It was a bold move from a political standpoint, but one that she felt had to be made. Princess Bubblegum planned to let it slip during her announcement that she would be traveling with Marceline by the Morrow to the Shiney Isles, home of Ooo's most prominent rehabilitation clinic.

While everyone in Ooo focused on the clinic, Princess Bubblegum would take Marceline to a remote cabin, located in the mountains of Ooo's South Coast, which had been in her family for hundreds of years. The cabin was nearly six hours away by automobile, and was unreachable by any means other than hiking up the mountain on which it sat. Princess Bubblegum knew that it would be safe both from the prying eyes of reporters and those who wanted to hurt the Vampire Queen. She was going to ask Doctor Princess to make the trip with them, along with Finn and Jake, provided that the heroes felt like traveling after their battle with Ash.

Princess Bubblegum surveyed her room a last time before zipping her suitcase. Once satisfied that she hadn't left anything important behind, she selected a dress to wear while making her announcement, spread it on her bed, and went up to the lab to tell her friends of the plans she had made.

"There you are!" Doctor Princess exclaimed when she saw Princess Bubblegum come into the lab.

"Is something wrong?" the princess asked.

"The magic that Ash used to paralyze Jake was unusually strong, probably learned from a demon, and different from the spell he used on the banana guards. I'm working with Doctor Doughnut to reverse its effects, but I'm not entirely sure that it can be done. He wasn't taking the news very well; I had to sedate him."

Princess Bubblegum gasped and shook her head. "And Finn?"

"See for yourself."

Doctor Princess stepped aside, revealing Finn. He was on his knees in the corner of the lab, his hands clasped in front of him, his lips moving rapidly.

"What's he doing?" Princess Bubblegum asked, her voice low enough that couldn't hear.

"Praying," whispered the doctor. "He has been ever since I came in. He won't stop, but I see no reason to sedate him too. He's not hurting anyone."

Princess Bubblegum nodded. She considered the situation and, deciding that she had run out of other options, told Doctor Princess about her plan.

"If you think that Doctor Doughnut can take care of Jake, I would appreciate you accompanying us to the cabin," Princess Bubblegum finished.

"Doctor Doughnut can care for Jake just as I can, and I would feel a lot more comfortable going with Marceline," the doctor said. "I took the liberty of using the royal library to do some research last night, and I discovered some very…disturbing facts about demon pregnancies."

"Like what?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

"Marceline is the only recorded demon/human hybrid to survive birth and her mother was the only human woman to survive giving birth to a child with demon ancestry. The statistics are not in her favor, I'm afraid. Adding Ash's wizard ancestry to the mix complicates things further. Unfortunately, all the odds are against the fetus' survival. I feel that it would be best to terminate the pregnancy when Marceline is aware enough to give permission."

Princess Bubblegum sighed. "We'll talk to her about all her option when she wakes up. For now, we all need to get some sleep."

The princess walked over to Finn and leaned down to put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, his eyes full of questions.

"Finn," Princess Bubblegum began in a maternal voice, "you need to sleep. Come on, love."

"I wanna stay with Jake and Marcy," Finn whined, reverting to the mannerisms of a petulant child.

"Well, okay, but you need to at least lie down. I'll have Peppermint Butler bring in another cot."

Princess Bubblegum pulled out her cell phone and dialed the butler's number. She hadn't seen him around the castle, even when she had talked with the rest of her servants in the hallway. The princess sighed with frustration when his voicemail picked up. It was odd for Peppermint Butler to not answer her calls, but she didn't have time to think much of it. She went to the storage closet and dragged another cot next to Marceline's. After handing Finn a blanket and a pillow and kissing him on the cheek, she walked out of the room, intent on finding her butler so that she could inform him of her plan.

Princess Bubblegum was stopped in the hallway by a Candy maid named Caramella. She was nervously chewing on her bottom lip and twisting her hair.

"Princess Bubblegum, I need to speak with you…in private," she whispered.

"Not now, Caramella. I have to find Peppermint Butler."

"Well, Princess, that's what I needed to talk to you about,"Caramella whispered. "Sherriff Smore is in the sitting room. He said that something's happened to Peppermint Butler-he says he's dead,"

"What?" Princess Bubblegum exclaimed.

Without waiting for a reply, the princess hurried to the sitting room. She threw open the door, and was greeted by the grim Sheriff standing near the couch he had been resting on, hat in hand.

"I'm sorry to disturb you at such an hour, Your Majesty," Sherriff Smore said. "I came to talk to you about Peppermint Butler."

"What happened?" Princess Bubblegum asked, as she motioned for the Sheriff to take the seat opposite her.

"Well, Princess, it seems that he committed suicide just before dawn this morning, in the alley behind The Candy Tavern. Witnesses say that he was talking to a wizard that we think we've identified as Ash, and having a pretty heated discussion with him, moments before he left the Tavern. A busboy who was taking the trash out saw everything."

Princess Bubblegum put her head into her hands and tried not to sob. She felt as if her whole world was falling down around her.

"Thank you, Sheriff," the princess said. "If you will excuse me, I have to speak with the other servants and-"

"Actually Princess, it was what we found in Peppermint Butler's home that prompted our visit this morning," the sheriff interrupted.

"His house? But, Peppermint Butler lived here!"

"Records indicate that he also rented a small apartment near the Candy Tavern. When my officers went inside, they found some documents that we felt were a cause for concern." The sheriff handed Princess Bubblegum a thick folder. "It seems that Peppermint Butler was not a true Candy person at all, but a demon. And he was plotting to overthrow you and the Vampire Queen."

Princess Bubblegum gasped as she rapidly flipped through the hundreds of pages filled with Peppermint Butler's small, cramped handwriting. Every other page marked the beginning of a new scheme to take control of one kingdom or another. The princess began to feel light-headed; she couldn't believe that someone she had trusted for so long could possibly be harboring such secrets.

"We wouldn't have even shown you this, Princess, if there wasn't something that was greatly concerning all of us officers. We think that Peppermint Butler wasn't working alone. In his writings, there are several mentions of Ash as well as a small splinter group of demons that they have recruited to work under them."

Princess Bubblegum felt her stomach turn over at the mention of Ash's name. Everything made sense to her now. He had been working with Peppermint Butler all along, and they had used their positions of trust to attempt to dethrone the rulers of two extremely powerful kingdoms.

"Sheriff Smore, I have the SSA looking for Ash. He hurt his girlfriend, the Vampire Queen, pretty badly earlier today, and he paralyzed Jake the Dog. I want your police force to be on the lookout as well. The SSA has orders to execute him on sight, and I expect your men to do the same," Princess Bubblegum said, her tired voice wavering.

"I will relay the orders, Princess. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Keep this quiet, please," Princess Bubblegum replied. "I plan on announcing Peppermint Butler's death in a royal address, but I see no reason that we worry the Candy citizens with talk of overthrowing governments."

"Of course, Princess. We'll keep you updated if we find anything else," the Sheriff said.

Princess Bubblegum showed the sheriff out and leaned against the front door after watching him drive away. She slowly sunk to the ground, the tears she had tried so hard to fight back spilling down her cheeks. She was usually so in control of everything that happened in her kingdom, but that had all changed in a matter of hours. Her best friends were hurt, her former lover was in a coma, and the man who had served her family for years had killed himself.

"Oh Glob, what did I do wrong?" Princess Bubblegum sobbed.

Upstairs in the princess' lab, Marceline was stuck in a dream haze that had lasted since she had slipped into the coma. It had begun with a dream of a tall, skinless man with horns, wearing ragged robes that hung to the floor. He had hovered behind Marceline, leaning over one shoulder and then the next with a supernatural speed as he told her of how evil the child she was carrying inside her would grow up to be.

"He's a killer, just like his mother," the man whispered, his hot, rancid breathe on the Vampire Queen's neck. "And far crueler than his father. Do you really want to bring another monster into this world?"

The skinless man's voice trailed away and Marceline felt as if she was falling. She landed gently a few seconds later, cradled in the arm of a large yellow and green owl.

"Your child is destined for great things. He-"

The owl stopped midsentence when the skinless man reappeared. He held his hand out in the direction of the owl, who was thrown backwards into the endless darkness. Marceline was once again falling.

When she landed this time, she was on the red couch in her house. Marceline was confused when she realized that she was staring at herself, or the version of herself that had existed just a month before. Her past self was standing in front of the open door, her hands on her hips.

"I told you that I never want to see you again!" Past-Marceline was yelling.

"But Mar-Mar, I…I miss you more than anything," Ash said, "and look-I made this for you."

Marceline watched as Ash pulled a stuffed animal from behind his back. It was a poorly-sewn imitation of Hambo, the toy that Simon had given her over a thousand years ago. Past-Marceline looked at the toy, and then grabbed it from Ash. After hugging it to her chest, she looked up at the wizard standing in front of her, and threw her arms around his neck.

"I love you, Ash," Past-Marceline whispered.

"Love you too, Mar-Mar."

Ash scooped past-Marceline up in his arms, and carried her towards the bedroom as she giggled.

"No," Marceline whispered. "No! Don't go with him!"

But even as she spoke, the couch was melting out from under her. Marceline was once again falling, this time screaming. She closed her eyes, and moments later she hit the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

_. Marceline was once again falling, this time screaming. She closed her eyes, and moments later she hit the ground. _

Marceline's eyes flew awake, and she began to gag from the breathing tube in her throat. In a fit of panic, the Vampire Queen began to claw at her mouth, only to be quickly subdued by Doctor Princess.

"Marceline, it's me, Doctor Princess. I had to intubate you earlier, but I can take it out now. I need you to calm down, stop fighting, and cough for me."

Marceline obeyed the doctor, and the tube easily slipped from her throat.

"What the hell is going on?" Marceline asked hoarsely, looking wildly around the room. "Where am I? What's wrong with Finn and Jake?"

"Queen Marceline, stay calm, everything is fine. You're in Princess Bubblegum's lab. Finn and Jake brought you here." Doctor Princess said. "What is the last thing that you remember?"

"Ugh, drop the 'queen' bullshit," Marceline said. "The last thing I remember was…Ash was mad at me because I told him that I'm pregnant and he….Where is he?"

"We don't know, Marceline," Doctor Princess replied. "What we do know is that Ash tried to abort the baby, but he failed and would have killed you in the process if it wasn't for your immortality. Finn and Jake went to your house to check on you and brought you here once they saw what happened."

"How'd they get hurt?" Marceline asked, her voice wavering.

"Ash broke into the Candy Castle and tried to kidnap you. Finn, Jake, and Princess Bubblegum saved you. Ash used a paralysis spell on Jake that we haven't yet been able to reverse. Finn is just tired. He has been up most of the night holding your hand."

"And Princess Bubblegum? Where is she?"

"She went to her room to pack and prepare a speech. She plans on taking you away from the Candy Kingdom later today so that you will be safe, if you agree that is. To a cabin on the South Coast. I can call her if you want," the doctor said.

"Yes, please."

Marceline sunk back on the bed and closed her eyes. She was too weak even to float, and her whole body was sore. The pain was worst in her vagina, where it felt as she was on fire. She carefully placed her hand on her stomach, but felt nothing save for revulsion towards the child inside of her. She was vaguely reminded of the disturbing dreams she had experienced, but couldn't quite grasp what they had been about.

Marceline's thoughts were interrupted when Princess Bubblegum flung open the door to her lab and ran to the sickly queen.

"Marceline," Princess Bubblegum whispered as she buried her face in the Vampire's hair. "I have never been so scared in my life. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Marceline answered, weakly trying to smile. "What's this about going to a cabin?"

"I just feel it would be best for you if we are away from the Candy Kingdom for a while. Is that okay?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

"Sure," Marceline replied. "It may be nice to get away for a while."

Finn sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. When he saw that Marceline was awake, his eyes lit up and he ran over to her.

"Marcy!" Finn yelled, squeezing her tightly in his arms.

"Hey, hero," Marceline said weakly, wincing from Finn's overenthusiastic hug. "Thanks for, ya know, saving me."

"I'm sorry that Ash hurt you," Finn said.

Marceline looked down and tried to hide the tears that had gathered in her eyes. Running her hands across the small bump on her stomach, she whispered "Me too, Finn. Me too."

There was an awkward silence as Doctor Princess and Princess Bubblegum exchanged a glance.

"Finn, could you wait outside? Princess Bubblegum and I need to speak with Marceline alone."

"Okay," Finn said. "I'll go wash up. Yell if you need me."

They watched as Finn picked up his backpack and left the room.

"Marceline," Doctor Princess began as the door closed behind Finn, "I've done some research on pregnancy in those with a mix of human, vampire, and wizard heritage. It doesn't look promising. As I've told Princess Bubblegum, it is likely that you will miscarry. You have the option of trying to carry the child to term, or terminating the pregnancy now. I can give you some time to think and-"

"No, I know what I want to do. Terminate it. Now," Marceline said.

"There's no need to make a decision just yet, Marceline. You should think it over for a bit," Princess Bubblegum warned.

"Thanks for your concern, Bonnie," Marceline said, "but I have no intention of raising Ash's child. I want it out of me as soon as possible."

"Okay, if you are sure," Doctor Princess said. "I'll go to the hospital now and get the supplies I need. We can perform the procedure in the cabin."

"Have a few of the banana guards accompany you," Princess Bubblegum ordered.

Doctor Princess nodded and set out to the hospital. Princess Bubblegum sat down on the cot next to Marceline. She gently ran her fingers through her friend's long, silky hair, and smiled sadly.

"It's going to be fine, Marceline," Princess Bubblegum said. "We're going to find Ash. He'll pay for what he's done to us."

"Us? What do you mean?" Marceline sat up in the bed, using most of her energy.

"Oh, Marceline, I wasn't going to say anything, but Peppermint Butler is dead. He killed himself. He was working with Ash; they planned on overthrowing you, then me, and eventually, your father."

"Was…Was that why Ash wanted to be with me again?" Marceline asked, her voice trembling.

"I don't know, Marmalade."

Marceline froze at Princess Bubblegum's use of the nickname she had given her so many years ago, a nickname that was only whispered in the dead of night between moans of pleasure. The princess blushed deeply.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't sweat it, Bonnibel," Marceline said, squeezing her friend's hand.

"Well," Princess Bubblegum said, "I'm going to prepare to speak to the Kingdom…I'm going to tell them what they need to know and nothing more. You need to rest."

Marceline knew better than to argue. She lay back on her pillow and closed her eyes, only to open them again when she felt Princess Bubblegum's soft lips brush across her forehead. Before Marceline could speak, she saw the door closing behind her friend. A smile played across her pale lips, and stayed even as she began to slip into sleep.

In another wing of the castle, Finn sat soaking in a warm bath, his arms wrapped around his knees. He had a few bruises from his encounter with Ash, but nothing too serious. Yet, he was very troubled. He knew that he should be worrying about Jake, but he couldn't think of anyone but Marceline.

When he met the Vampire Queen six years ago, they had quickly become friends. She had given Finn advice on how to talk to girls, a place to stay when he and Jake were arguing, and help searching for his biological parents. Sometime during all this, Finn had begun to fall in love. He, however, could never seem to work up the courage to tell her. It was too easy to imagine Marceline telling him she wasn't interested, or, even worse, laughing at him. He found it easier to push his feelings for the queen away, to pretend that they didn't exist.

After a disastrous breakup with the Flame Princess, however, Finn made up his mind to tell Marceline how he felt. He had carefully combed his hair, chose a nice outfit, and bought a dozen red roses from the Flower Kingdom before making his way to Marceline's cave. When he arrived at her home, he had glanced in the window before knocking and saw her with Ash.

She had been on her knees in front of her boyfriend, her clothes strewn around the living room. The wizard was sitting on the couch, both hands curled into fists around Marceline's hair, his head thrown back in ecstasy. He was forcing her head up and down on his penis, despite her obvious gagging and the tears running down her cheeks. Finn had watched the scene play out before him, immobilized although he desperately wanted to save his friend.

Once he remembered how to move, Finn had thrown open the unlocked door and pulled out his sword.

"Get away from Marcy!"

"What the fuck?" Ash yelled, roughly pushing Marceline away from him.

"Finn, what are you doing here?" Marceline asked. She grabbed a blanket from the back of her couch, wrapped it around her body, and rubbed her throat.

"I…I was saving you. He hurt you," Finn stammered.

"No, Finn," Marceline said. "He wasn't hurting me. Ash wouldn't do that. I think you need to leave."

"Yeah, get out of here. I don't want to ever see you around Marceline again," Ash said, pulling a knife from the belt that still hung loosely around his hips.

Finn had walked out of Marceline's house, head down, tears streaming from his face. He had only walked a few steps before hearing a loud slap, punctuated by a scream of pain from Marceline. The young hero started to turn back, but kept reminding himself what Marceline had said about how Ash would never hurt her.

"Maybe that's how guys are supposed to act," Finn thought.

That night, he lay in his bunk and masturbated furiously to the scene he had walked in on earlier that night. After he finished, Finn felt a near-overwhelming sense of regret wash over him. He had never been so embarrassed, and he was sure that Marceline would never speak to him again. He fell into a deep depression; even his interest in adventuring had waned. Jake and BMO tried to cheer him up, but he preferred to stay in his bed and sleep.

Eventually, Finn's pain lessened and he began to return to his normal self. He saw Marceline one day while shopping in the Grocery Kingdom, and she hugged him warmly. He considered apologizing for his behavior, but decided that it was better not to mention it. When he mentioned coming over for a jam session, however, she had gotten very nervous and told Finn that Ash no longer allowed her to hang out with mortals. Finn was disappointed and worried, but he tried to tell himself that Marceline could take care of herself. He had no clue how bad her relationship with Ash had become.

As Finn stepped out of the steamy bathroom, he was stopped by Princess Bubblegum, who was rushing to the balcony from which she would address the Candy Kingdom.

"Finn, I am taking Marceline away from the kingdom so she will be safer. Do you want to go with us? I know that you want to be with Jake, but to be honest, I feel that you are more capable than even the top Special Security Agents that will be traveling with us."

"Uh, sure, Princess," Finn replied. "As long as Jake will be safe here, I mean."

"He will. I'll send someone to the tree house to pack your bags and bring BMO to the castle. I have to address my subjects, but we will be leaving soon after," Princess Bubblegum said. "Be ready to go, and don't tell anyone."

"Sure thing, PB," Finn said.

Princess Bubblegum hurried down the hallway, the heels of her shoes clicking on the candy-tiled floor. She stood in front of the heavy French doors, smoothing her hair and straightening her crown. She felt a slight twinge of sadness at Peppermint Butler's absence; he had been by her side during every royal address, including the one she had given when she announced the death of her father. Pushing the thought from her mind, the princess took a deep breath, opened the doors, and stepped into the sun

Princess Bubblegum scanned the somber, whispering crowd. Although the majority of people were from the Candy Kingdom, there were a few citizens from every kingdom that had been represented at the festival. Even a few vampires were in the crowd, huddled together under umbrellas in the shade of a large tree. They had undoubtedly heard some news about their queen by now.

Princess Bubblegum held her hands in the air, palms out, and the crowd fell silent.

"People of the Candy Kingdom, friends, and fellow royalty, I regret having to come before you under such circumstances. As you may know, Marceline the Vampire Queen was brutally attacked last night. She is weak, but we expect her to make a full recovery. Her attacker is a wizard named Ash, who is considered to be armed and dangerous. A picture has been released to the press, and citizens are strongly encouraged to report sightings to the proper authorities rather than approach him directly," Princess Bubblegum paused to judge the reactions of the crowd; they seemed concerned, but not overly distressed.

"In an incident we believe to be unrelated," the Princess continued, "our friend and my loyal servant, Peppermint Butler was found dead early this morning. The details of his death are not entirely clear, but at this time we believe that he committed suicide.

"It is in light of these events that I feel it best to cancel that rest of the festival. We shall reschedule the Royal Meeting for a more appropriate date," Princess Bubblegum scanned the crowd again, and she sensed disappointment and sadness, but no anger. "I will be traveling with Queen Marceline to the Shiney Isles, where the best doctors in Ooo will help her recover fully. I thank you all for your patience and understanding, and I hope that we can work together to get through this dark time."

The crowd clapped and Princess Bubblegum went back into the castle. Caramella was waiting for her.

"Princess, I loaded the car and pulled it around back. Finn, Marceline, and Doctor Princess are waiting for you."

"Thank you, Caramella. Wait about fifteen minutes and then send out the Morrow."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Princess Bubblegum made her way to the lab where her friends were waiting. She was pleasantly surprised to see a white-haired old man with glasses sitting on the cot next to Marceline, holding her in his arms.

"Simon, I should have called!" Princess Bubblegum said.

"Oh, it's quite all right. Finn called me, and you know I wouldn't stay away from Marcy when she needs me. I hope you don't mind if I accompany you on your journey."

"Of course not," Princess Bubblegum replied.

Nearly a year ago, the princess learned the full story of the Ice King's origins from Finn and Jake. In a last-ditch effort to repair her relationship with Marceline, the princess had worked tirelessly to restore Simon's memory while still preserving his immortality. After many sleepless nights, she had succeeded.

Simon still had trouble remembering things and, after living a thousand years of solitude, he greatly valued his privacy, but he was the same man that had raised Marceline after the Great Mushroom War. The Vampire had never formally thanked Princess Bubblegum, but the way her eyes lit up when she saw him the first time had been thanks enough.

Ash had pushed Simon away, just as he had everyone else, after moving in with the Vampire Queen, but he had refused to stay away completely. He tried to watch over Marceline, but she became angry with him; she told him that he was treating her like a child and that she never wanted to see him again. Simon had never been so hurt, but now he understood why Marceline had said what she did. As soon as Finn had told him what had happened, he had dropped everything and ran to the castle to be with the queen.

"Everything's ready," Princess Bubblegum said. "You can go on to the cars, and I'll be down as soon as I change."

Finn picked up Marceline and carried her to the car, using an umbrella to shield her from the sun. He gently placed her in the back seat and spread a blanket over her legs. Finn sat down next to her and she laid her head on his lap. A blush rose on Finn's cheeks, and Simon smiled at the awkward teen. Although his memory wasn't perfect, he could still remember how it felt to be young and in love. Marceline, with her eyes closed, grabbed Finn's hand and squeezed it in her own.

"You make a good pillow, hero," she whispered.

Finn's blushed deepened and he looked out the window, praying that Princess Bubblegum was on her way. He was glad to see that she was.

The princess spoke to the guard driving the car behind her, nodded, and climbed into the driver's seat of her car. Starting the engine, she turned to look at Finn and Marceline.

"You guys ready?" She asked.

"You know it, PB" Finn replied.

He settled back in the seat, and closed his eyes. Princess Bubblegum pulled out of the driveway and onto a small back road leading out of the Candy Kingdom. As the car snaked along the curvy road, Finn allowed himself to pretend that, just for a moment, the world he knew wasn't burning down around him.

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**A/N: Thanks again for reviewing. I love hearing feedback, constructive criticism and thoughts about what direction the story should take. Did Marceline make the right choice about her baby? How do you feel about the appearance of Simon? Feel free to review or leave a PM!**


	6. Chapter 6

Princess Bubblegum glanced in her rear view mirror and smiled sadly at Marceline and Finn, who were snuggled together under a blanket. Finn was holding the vampire queen close to then and resting his chin on the top of her head. Her head was on his chest, and she was gently clutching his t-shirt with one fist.

"He's good for her," she thought, realizing with a heavy heart that her relationship with Marceline was truly over.

The princess spotted a fueling station on the side of the road and pulled over. She shut off the engine and rubbed her eyes, trying to stay awake.

'Are we there?" Finn asked, sitting up in the seat. He looked at Marceline, and a blush burned on his cheeks.

"Not yet, but close," Princess Bubblegum replied. "Could you go inside and pick up some snacks and soda?"

"Sure, PB." Finn gently removed Marceline's hands from his shirt. "I'll be right back, Marcy."

The vampire queen nodded and squeezed Finn's hand before releasing him. He stepped out of Princess Bubblegum's car and noticed an SSA leaning against the small van they were traveling in, smoking a cigarette and scanning the parking lot for any sign of danger. He nodded when he saw the hero and returned his attention back to his duties.

Finn stepped into the nearly deserted store and grabbed one of the baskets near the door. He walked up and down the aisles, taking special care to choose things that were red for Marceline. He grabbed some soda and tomato juice and sat the basket on the counter. As he was pulling out his wallet, Finn's eyes fell on the stack of newspapers on the counter.

"MURDER, SUICIDE, AND BETRAYEL IN THE CANDY KINGDOM", glared the headline.

Finn added the paper, paid the cashier, and scanned the front page story as he walked to the car.

"Look at this, Princess," Finn said.

"What is it?" Simon asked, sitting up.

"Riots have broken out in the Wizard Kingdom….Spurned by the death of a school-teacher murdered by Vampires after he was mistaken for fugitive…" Princess Bubblegum read.

"Don't let Marceline see this," Simon whispered. He took the paper from the princess and threw it in the nearby dumpster. "She's been through enough."

Princess Bubblegum nodded, and started the car. Marceline stirred when Finn sat down beside her, but quickly settled back into his lab and began snoring lightly.

A half an hour later, Princess Bubblegum pulled the car into a clearing hidden from the road by thick trees. A small, nearly overgrown foot path led up the mountain. Finn shielded his eyes and tried to see the cabin at the end of the path, but couldn't.

"How far up is it?" Finn asked.

"Just a mile and a half," she replied.

Finn stepped out of the car and knelt down. Marceline weakly climbed on his back and wrapped her legs and arms around him. The Special Security Agents immediately surrounded them, along with Princess Bubblegum, Simon, and Doctor Princess. The banana guards followed, carrying the suitcases.

"We're almost there," Princess Bubblegum said nearly an hour later. "I think it's right around this next corner."

When they turned the corner, Finn stopped and stared up at the cabin. It was rustic, but nearly as big as the lower level of the Candy castle. It was made of wood and dominated by the huge picture window overlooking a small stream that ran beside it.

"Nice," Finn said.

Princess Bubblegum smiled and nodded. She broke away from the group and went to unlock the door.

"Come on in," she said.

The princess stepped inside and sniffed the air. She held up her hand, pointed to one of the agents, and motioned him forward.

"What is it, Princess Bubblegum?" He whispered.

"It smells like…cigar smoke," she replied, stepping back.

"Cigar Smoke?" Marceline asked. "Don't worry about it. Take me inside Finn."

Finn hesitated. "Let them check it out fir-"

"Take me inside, Finn"

Finn shrugged and carried Marceline into the cabin.

"Come out, Dad," she yelled. "I know it's you."

A tall man in a black business suit appeared in front of Finn. He, still holding Marceline, pulled out his sword and brandished it at Hunson Abadeer.

"Put it away, little boy, I'm just here to see my daughter."

With a flick of a wrist, Finn's sword flew out of his hands and stuck in the wall. The Special Security Agents drew their weapons, which were all quickly met with the same fate.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Marceline asked. She motioned for Finn to take her into the sitting room.

"I just came to see my little girl!" He replied, sitting on the couch opposite Marceline and Finn. "I heard she was going through a rough patch with her boyfriend and I just wanted to see if I could help."

"Little rough patch?" Finn asked, standing up. "He tried to kill her!"

"Oh, I'm sure it was just a little misunderstanding. What exactly happened, Marceline?" Hunson asked, leaning forward and making a tent with his fingers.

"It was nothing, Daddy," Marceline lied. She just wanted her father to leave.

"It wasn't 'nothing', Marceline!" Princess Bubblegum yelled. "How about all those times he beat you until you couldn't see straight? Or maybe the time he decided to put you on a starvation diet? Or how about the time he got mad at you because you're pregnant and decided to give you an unsterile abortion on the bedroom floor? Was that nothing?"

The guards and SSA's looked around the room nervously. Finn was trying not to cry, and Marceline had buried her head in his chest. Simon sat in armchair, glasses in one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. And Princess Bubblegum stood in front of them all, her chest heaving, her hands shaking with anger, fatigue and sorrow.

"Is that all true?" Hunson asked, looking at his daughter.

Without moving her head from Finn's chest, she nodded.

"How could I have let this happen?" Hunson mumbled, rubbing his temples.

"I don't know," Simon said, standing up. "What I do know is that it has been a grueling day for everyone here. It's past time to retire for the night. We can discuss everything in the morning."

"He's right," Finn said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "We're all tired. Marceline needs to sleep."

Without waiting for a response, Finn picked up the Vampire Queen and carried her to a bedroom. He gently pulled back the blankets and tucked Marceline in.

"Goodnight, Marcy," Finn whispered, brushing her long black hair away from her face.

"'Night, hero," she replied.

Finn started to walk out the door until he heard Marceline's small voice whisper to him "Please don't go."

Finn turned around and nodded. He started to slip off his hat, and then remembered that it was in Marceline's cave, covered in blood. A blush crept along his cheeks and he climbed into bed next to the queen. She immediately snuggled up to him, and Finn felt his penis become erect, and the blush on his face deepened.

He held Marceline tighter and buried his face in her long hair.

"I love you so much," Finn whispered, but she was already fast asleep.

The next morning, Finn woke to the sound of birds, and the unfamiliar warmth of a woman holding him tightly. He gently untangled Marceline's arms from around his body and pulled the thick curtains to keep the sun from her pale, sensitive skin. From the kitchen, he could hear low voices and the clink of silverware on dishes. He made sure that Marceline was still sleeping, changed clothes, and went to join his friends.

"Simon, I never properly thanked you," Hunson said. "For taking care of my daughter after the war, I mean."

Simon looked up from his coffee.

"Well, Hunson, I'm not the type to leave a small child alone in a post-apocalyptic wasteland."

Hunson growled low in his throat.

"I had my reason for leaving her behind, you know. The Nightosphere is no place for a child, and my people needed me."

Simon stood up from the table abruptly, knocking his chair over.

"Your people needed you more than a scared little girl who had just lost her mother

"Stop it, both of you, you're acting like children!" Princess Bubblegum screamed.

Simon, Hunson, and the princess all tried to talk over each other. None of them noticed that Marceline had woken up and limped from her bedroom when she heard the argument.

"Stop!" She yelled. "Just stop it. Please." Marceline lost her balance and sunk to the floor, where she began to cry.

Princess Bubblegum rushed to Marceline and knelt on one side of her.

"Come on sweetie," the princess whispered. "Let's get back to bed. Doctor Princess will be in to examine you before the procedure shortly, okay?"

Marceline nodded, and allowed the princess to pick her up and carry her back to bed. When she came back, everyone was staring at her.

"What procedure are you talking about, Peebles?" Finn asked.

Princess Bubblegum dropped some bread in the toaster, pressed the lever, and sighed.

"Marceline has decided to terminate the pregnancy," she said.

Hunson and Simon nodded; they both knew that Marceline was in no mental state to raise a child. Finn, however, was shocked.

"Why would she kill her baby?" He asked. "Doesn't she love it?"

"Oh, Finn", Princess Bubblegum sighed. After putting her toast on a plate and pouring a cup of coffee, she led the young hero to the sitting room, where she sat down next to him. "To have grown so much, you haven't learned a lot about the world, have you?" The princess picked up her toast, tore off the crust, and put both pieces back on the plate. "What do you think Marceline would think of every time she looked at her baby?"

Finn shrugged.

"She would think of Ash and how much he hurt her and all the cruel things he put her through. It's better just to try and forget that this whole mess ever happened. Besides, having a kid isn't easy, especially when you're alone."

"But she wouldn't have to be alone!" Finn insisted. Lowering his voice, he continued "I could be there."

"Oh good Glob, don't be stupid!" Princess Bubblegum was beginning to get frustrated and, although she would never admit it, somewhat jealous. "Marceline has made her choice, and none of your childish promises are going to change that!"

"I'm sorry I upset you, Princess," Finn said, after sitting in silence for a moment. "I'm just scared because she's…spiraling out of control and I can't stop it. All I can do is watch."

"Try doing that for twenty years," she said, squeezing the young hero's hand.

Princess Bubblegum left a very confused Finn sitting on the couch. She found Doctor Princess in the cabin's small computer room, scrolling through the headlines from the Candy Kingdom.

"Any good news?" She asked.

"No," Doctor Princess replied. "Nothing yet. Is Marceline ready to be examined?"

Princess Bubblegum nodded, "She's in her room. I'll come with you."

The doctor picked up her bag and followed the princess to Marceline's room. They knocked, and she weakly told them to come in. She had made a cocoon for herself on the bed, and was wrapped tightly in it.

"Marceline, I'm ready to examine you," Doctor Princess said. "Can you please remove your pants?"

Princess Bubblegum helped Marceline get undressed and place her feet in the portable stirrups the doctor had set up. She then sat down in a chair next to Marceline's bed, and held her hand.

"I'm going to start now, Marceline. Relax."

As soon as Doctor Princess touched her, Marceline nearly screamed. The princess held Marceline's hand and whispered reassuringly in her ear.

"You seem to be healing rather well," the doctor remarked. "I do think that you're a bit underweight and that's what has slowed down the process a bit. I'll write up a diet plan to help you gain some weight."

Marceline nodded. Silent tears were running down her pale face, and she was squeezing Princess Bubblegum's hand tightly.

"Is it over?" She asked.

"Almost, Marceline. I have to do an ultrasound, but it isn't invasive. You can get dressed."

Marceline pulled her pants back on and her shirt up.

"I don't have to see it, do I?"

"Not if you don't want to," Doctor Princess replied, spreading a cold gel on the Vampire Queen's stomach.

When the doctor turned on the ultrasound wand, it projected a blank screen onto the wall. Marceline turned away before the doctor pressed it to her stomach. She imagined that the thing growing inside her would look like a monster, and she didn't want to know any different.

As Doctor Princess stared at the screen, she began to chew her bottom lip. She looked at Princess Bubblegum, who stared back at her with wide eyes.

"What's going on, guys?" Marceline asked after a few moments of silence.

"Well, Marceline it seems that…it seems that you are further along than we thought. Too far along to terminate. In fact," the doctor said nervously, "you can probably expect to give birth in about three months."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm always looking for constructive criticism and feedback, so feel free to review or leave me a PM!**


	7. Chapter 7

_As Doctor Princess stared at the screen, she began to chew her bottom lip. She looked at Princess Bubblegum, who stared back at her with wide eyes._

_ "What's going on, guys?" Marceline asked after a few moments of silence. _

_ "Well, Marceline it seems that…it seems that you are further along than we thought. Too far along to terminate. In fact," the doctor said nervously, "you can probably expect to give birth in about three months."_

Marceline stared blankly at the doctor.

"Do you understand, Marceline?" Princess Bubblegum asked.

The Vampire Queen began to shake her head back and forth.

"No," she said. "I told you that I don't want this thing inside of me anymore." Her voice took on an edge of hysteria. "Get it out. Get it out!"

"Calm down," Doctor Princess said. "It is impossible to terminate the pregnancy now; it would be murder, not to mention the fact that I would be stripped of my license."

Marceline nodded slowly, began to speak, and vomited off the side of the bed. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sunk back in the pillows.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," Princess Bubblegum said, helping the queen out of the bed and leading her to the bathroom.

"I'm fine, Bonnie. I can do it myself," Marceline said.

"Well, okay, just yell if you need me." Princess Bubblegum closed the door behind her and turned to the doctor. "Is she going to be okay?"

"I don't know, Princess. I don't know."

The two women cleaned up the mess and went back to the kitchen. As soon as he saw them, Simon stood up.

"What's going on with Marcy?" He asked.

"We just found out that we can't abort. She's too far along."

Hunson cringed. "My daughter has no business raising a child. How did she take it?"

"Not well," Princess Bubblegum replied. "She vomited when we told her, actually. But she's in the bathroom cleaning up, and she seems to be okay."

Finn jumped up, knocking over his chair. "You just left her alone in there? Good glob, are you stupid?"

He ran towards the bathroom, only to find it locked.

"Marcy, open up!" He yelled.

There was no response.

"Marceline Olivia Abadeer, get out here!" Hunson pounded on the door, waiting only a second before kicking in the door.

Marceline was sitting slumped over on the edge of the bathtub, her long hair hiding her face. Hunson's eyes fell to the pool of blood gathering on the floor near Marceline's outstretched hand, and then to the silver, jeweled stake lying next to it. He pushed past the small crowd and ran to his daughter.

"Do something!" Hunson yelled, holding Marceline's limp body in front of him. "She used the stake! She could die!"

Slowly, Doctor Princess realized what was happening.

"Get her to her bedroom and use your tie as a tourniquet," she ordered. "Finn, find my bag and get out the sutures. Princess Bubblegum, I need you to give her a sedative."

"Don't wanna live anymore," Marceline murmured. "Let me go home now."

Doctor Princess ignored the queen and poured a sterilizing solution on her arm, eliciting a whimper of pain. The cut wasn't quite as deep as she had first thought, but Marceline was still losing more blood than the doctor was comfortable with. As soon as the Doctor touched her arm, the queen began to fight back with what little strength she had. Princess Bubblegum prepared a sedative and injected it into the queen's thigh. Finn handed the doctor a pack of sterile sutures, poured the sterilizer on his hands, and gently held together both sides of the wound so Doctor Princess could stitch it together.

Once the wound was closed and the bleeding has stopped, Doctor Princess ran an alcohol swab down the length of the cut and took off her glasses. Cleaning them on her shirt, she sighed deeply. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she spoke.

"What happened here was too close of a call for my comfort. Hunson, take that accursed stake back to the Nightosphere where it came from. The knives from the kitchen, too; we can eat takeout with plastic until all this is over. Marceline is on 24-hour suicide watch, and that means that she is not to be left alone under any circumstances."

"I'll stay with her," Finn volunteered, sitting down next to the bed.

"That's fine. The sedative should wear off in about an hour, call us if she is combative when she wakes up," Doctor Princess instructed.

After everyone had filed out of Marceline's room, Finn gently took her hand and kissed it.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

Finn scooted the chair closer to the bed and waited for Marceline's sedative to wear off. He, for just a moment, allowed him to imagine a life with the woman who lay next to him. He pictured a little house, not far from the Candy Kingdom, with a swing set outside for the child and days filled with music and adventure. They would argue sometimes and make up at night, tangled in each other's arms in the moonlight. They would be parents and lovers and best friends and-

Finn's daydream evolved into sleep after only a few minutes. Sleep often evaded the young hero, and he enjoyed it when he could. From the dark dreamlessness, a light began to emerge, growing brighter by the minute. Finn covered his eyes, but he could still see the light. A shape was forming, and he soon saw that it was a large, powerful owl.

"Protect them, Finn," the Cosmic Owl said. "A great evil is coming…Protect the Precious Lamb, and the Holy Mother, for they will usher in greatness in Ooo."

The blindingly bright owl faded away, his voice replaced by Marceline's.

"Finn?" She asked. "Finn, are you okay?"

He jerked awake and nearly fell from the chair.

"I'm awake, Marceline. How…How are you feeling?"

"I think you were having a bad dream," she said, ignoring his question and absentmindedly picking at the stitches in her wrist.

"Hey, stop," Finn murmured, gently taking Marceline's arm with his hand, made rough by years of adventuring.

He stared at the deep cut and the black, evenly-spaced sutures holding it together. Impulsively, he trailed his lips down the length of Marceline's wound, his heart pounding. The kiss was strangely erotic, and Finn felt himself harden. Suddenly, Marceline pulled away. Finn opened his eyes, an irrational part of him angry that the Vampire always seemed to turn him on and then stop before he was satisfied.

His anger melted away, however, as soon as he saw her. She was on her side, knees drawn to her chest and her body shaking as she sobbed. Finn noticed for the first time just how much weight she had lost since Ash came back into her life; her face looked gaunt and her collarbone stood out in sharp contrast to the bump on her stomach. He struggled to find the right word to describe Marceline, and then it came: broken.

"Oh Marcy," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "What happened to my radical dame who likes to play games?"

Marceline stopped crying and looked up at Finn. "She grew up, hero."

"But she didn't have to!" Finn cried, jumping up from his chair. "She didn't have to start caring about her kingdom all of a sudden! She could have given it up and everything would have stayed the same, and we could have ridden wolves and jammed together and… and…" Finn's legs seem to give out and he lay on the bed next to Marceline, his heart pounding. He turned to face the queen and whispered "Why did you change, Marcy?"

"I had to, Finn. I know it's hard to believe, but I really did. Someone I loved very much-fuck, someone I still love today- she told me that sometimes responsibility demands sacrifice. I didn't know what she meant for the longest time." Marceline paused and laid her hand over Finn's. "And then when my people really needed me, I did. I figured that I'd been a kid for a thousand years, it was time to try being an adult now."

"Being an adult doesn't mean letting people push you around," Finn whispered. "Ash was mean to you, and you just let him be!"

"I know, hero," Marceline said quietly. "But I couldn't rule such a big kingdom by myself and…and it's not like anyone else would want to be with me. Ash said he was the best I would ever get, and he was right. I'm not good enough for anyone else."

"Please don't say that, Marcy," Finn murmured, running his fingers through her hair. "You're perfect to me. I…I love you Marceline."

Marceline stared at Finn for a moment, then threw her arms around his neck.

"I told you before that you don't want to go down this road with me," the Vampire said, her lips cold on his ear.

"I want to go wherever you go," he whispered.

Marceline pulled away from Finn and looked at his open, boyish face.

"You're such a weenie," she giggled.

Finn smiled and lay back on the bed. Marceline snuggled up to him, her head on his chest, and she felt safe for the first time in months.

Outside the cabin, among the thick trees in the forest, Ash smoked a cigarette and stared at the house before him. He had been there since early that morning, watching and waiting. He had arrived with no plan, his only goal to kill the bastard child who had caused him so much trouble. His dreams of ruling a kingdom had died on the dirty street along with Peppermint Butler, and he accepted this with a kind of quiet dignity. He knew that attacking Marceline was a suicide mission, yet, after mulling it over, he found that he was ready to die.

He was tired. The dark man visited him every time his eyes closed-that horrible dark man with the ragged robes, skeletal face, and ram's horns growing from his head. At first he had promised Ash the world: riches, kingdoms, women, all if he killed the child. After his first two attempts failed, however, the man had become threatening. He had given Ash a sword powerful enough to kill even Marceline, and told him that he would be tortured for all eternity if the child was **allowed to be born.**

Ash sat down under the shade of the tree and opened his small backpack. From it, he removed a plastic bag and a worn Polaroid photograph. He opened the bag and pinched out a bit of the white powder inside, put in on his hand, and snorted it. As he felt the drug began to take effect, he held up the photograph and smiled.

He had taken the picture on the day that he and Marceline had moved into the tree house. In it, she was smiling, her hair in low pig-tails, no bruises or bloodshot, scared eyes to be found. Ash had snaked his arm around her waist seconds before the picture had taken, and he was looking at her, his eyes full of love. He had been happy then too; he had snorted his first line not long before, and he could still fall asleep without drinking until he passed out.

Suddenly, painfully, Ash remembered how Marceline had pushed him on the couch seconds after the flash had went off. They had made love right there, not bothering to go upstairs. As he was on the edge, Marceline had rolled over until she was on top and slowly brought the wizard to orgasm, while he kneaded her breast and whispered soft words of encouragement. Afterwards, they had lain close together in their own personal Shangri-La, happy in each other's arms for one of the last times.

For just a moment, Ash hesitated to go inside the cabin. He considered just leaving the mountain, going somewhere he'd never been before, and letting Marceline live out her life with his child in peace. He almost did just that, but he could hear the voice of the dark man in his head.

"Remember what I said before, Ash the Wizard. Kill the child and you shall be rewarded…Fail and I will punish you."

Ash threw the plastic bag on the ground, kissed the image of Marceline, and tucked the photograph into an empty pouch on his belt; he wanted it with him when he died.

"I'm so sorry, Mar-Mar. I love you," he whispered.

The wizard lifted his sword and made his way to the cabin, ready to end the Abadeer family line once and for all.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! This is the next-to-last chapter! All reviews, PM's, and constructive criticisms are welcome!**


	8. Chapter 8

"_I'm so sorry, Mar-Mar. I love you," he whispered. _

_ The wizard lifted his sword and made his way to the cabin, ready to end the Abadeer family line once and for all. _

In the moments before Ash attacked, the cabin was silent for the first time since they arrived. Princess Bubblegum sat at the kitchen table with Simon and Doctor Princess, Finn and Marceline were sleeping in each other's arms, and the SSA's were diligently watching for any signs of danger. The silence was broken, however, when Ash used his magic to throw a boulder through cabin's picture window, and everyone snapped into action.

"Hide," Princess Bubblegum ordered.

"But we can't just-" Simon began to protest, but stopped when Princess Bubblegum glared at him.

Without another word, Simon led Doctor Princess away from the table and into the small pantry. Princess Bubblegum pulled up her pink dress to reveal a small handgun strapped to her outer thigh. She expertly loaded the weapon and ran to the sitting room, where Ash was battling three Special Security Agents, cackling as he created small knives from nothing and sent them flying through the air. Two SSA's lay on the floor, their throats slit.

"Oh hello, Princess," he said mockingly when he noticed her arrival.

With a flick of his wrist, Ash effortlessly killed the last of the SSA's. Princess Bubblegum gasped, and angry tears sprang into her eyes. She blinked them away and held up her gun.

"Ash, please stop this," the princess spoke firmly. "I can pardon you for your crimes, and no one else has to get hurt."

Ash laughed. "I'm not that dumb, _Bonnibel._"

The wizard pointed his wand at the princess and the gun disintegrated. Crying out in surprise, Princess Bubblegum stared down at her hands. She barely saw Ash running towards her, sword outstretched, until its tip pierced the wall and sliced off a chunk of her candy hair. He pinned her to the wall, his nose almost touching hers.

"I know all about you, Bonnie," Ash sneered. "How Marceline used you for kicks when you were young…She told me all about it you know: how she stole the virginity of the primmest princess in all of Ooo, and how that dumb Bubblegum bitch is still chasing after her twenty years later."

"No," Princess Bubblegum whispered. "No, that's not true!"

"Believe what you want to, your highness, it won't matter soon enough. Tell me where Marceline is and I'll leave you alone."

"She's not here!" Princess Bubblegum said indignantly.

Ash smiled, and used the tip of his sword to cut a straight line in the princess` clothes. They fell away, and a small drop of blood ran from between her breasts and down her flat stomach. She gasped and turned her face away, unwilling to show Ash the fear in her eyes. He grabbed her nipple, rubbed it between his fingers and repeated his command. When the Princess refused to answer, he pinched her hard and gritted his teeth.

"Alright, bitch this is getting old. Tell me where my Mar-Mar is!"

"No!"

Ash thrust his fingers between Princess Bubblegum's legs. She wanted to scream, but she bit her lip. She wouldn't give Ash the satisfaction of knowing how much he was hurting her.

"You like this, Bubblegum? Does this remind you of your precious Vampire? Tell me where she is!"

"I will not!" Princes Bubblegum used every bit of her energy to push the wizard away.

Ash landed on the floor and hit his head on the wall. The princess used the opportunity to try to run away, but she had taken no more than a few steps when she fell. Ash stood up and pointed his wand at her. Suddenly, she felt an unimaginable pain shoot through her body, and she began to scream.

Marceline heard the princess' cries, and clung tighter to Finn. He had started to check on his friends as soon as he heard the breaking glass, but Marceline had begged him to stay. He couldn't, however, stay hidden when one of his best friends was obviously in pain.

"Marcy, listen," Finn said, gently guiding her face up to his. "I have to go, and I need you to stay here. Can you do that for me?"

"Don't leave me!" Marceline sobbed.

"I'll be right back," he assured her. "Just be quiet, okay?"

Reluctantly, Marceline nodded. Finn untangled himself from her and started to walk out the door. He paused for a moment, turned back to Marceline, and kissed her for a brief, yet passionate, moment. Before she could open her eyes, Finn was gone.

Ash had left Princes Bubblegum writhing in pain to search the cabin. When he came to the small kitchen, his sensitive ears picked up the faint sound of labored breathing, yet he couldn't pinpoint its location. The wizard muttered a spell and an orb of light shot from the tip of his wand and illuminated the pantry, revealing Doctor Princess and Simon's hiding spot.

He smiled, sauntered to the pantry door, and slowly pulled it open.

"Well hello, Simon. So nice to see you! And you, Doctor!"

"Leave Marceline alone!" Simon yelled, wishing desperately that he still had command of his ice powers.

"Tell me where she is, old man. You don't want to end up like the princess over there!"

"Go to hell!"

Simon sprung at Ash, and wrapped his hands around the wizard's throat, only to be quickly thrown off, into the large kitchen window. The glass shattered around him, and Simon dropped to the ground outside, his leg twisted unnaturally under him.

"Now," Ash said, turning to Doctor Princess, "I'm going to ask you this once. Where. Is. Marceline?"

"In the bedroom down the hall!" She sobbed, clinging to Ash's boots. "Next to the painting of King Gumball! Please don't hurt me!"

Ash kicked Doctor Princess away and she fell on the floor, blood from her busted lip pooling with her tears. The confidence he had lost over the past few days was coming back, and he began to wonder if becoming the Vampire King was still a possibility. He strutted down the hall, his combat boots loud against the wooden floors.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Ash called as he studied the portraits lining the hallway. "I just want to talk to you. I love you, Mar-Mar!"

Finn burst from Marceline's room, sword drawn.

"You're not going to hurt her anymore!" He yelled as he lunged towards the wizard.

Ash dodged the attack at the last moment and his sword crashed against Finn's. Inside her room, Marceline was sitting on the bed hugging her knees to her chest. She was slowly rocking back and forth, trying to block out Ash's taunts, Finn's grunts of pain, and the never-ending clang of metal on metal. Without even realizing it, Marceline began to sing, her song punctuated by sobs.

"Making your way in the word today takes everything you got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Sometimes you wanna go-"

Marceline heard a cry of surprise and pain from outside her door. Carefully, she scooted to the edge of the bed, slipped off, and stumbled towards the door. In the hallway, Finn had pinned Ash to the ground, his sword poised on the wizard's neck. Ash was struggling against him until he saw Marceline, shoulders hunched, her face twisted in pain.

"Mar-Mar! Save me!" The wizard yelled. "Please, Mar-Mar."

Finn turned to look at Marceline, his eyes wide with surprise. His momentary distraction gave Ash an advantage and he tackled the hero to the ground. Laughing, he looked down at Finn.

"Looks like I out-brained you again, kid," he said. "Now you're going to have to pay. I think I'm going to pluck those eyes right out of your head."

Ash put the tip of his sword at Finn's eyelid. Marceline gathered all the strength she had and rushed at him. When she hit him, the sword slipped and cut a line from the hero's forehead down his cheek. The impact momentarily knocked the air from the wizard's lungs and he lay back on the floor, panting. Marceline tried to punch him, but she was so weak that her hits were ineffective. Ash considered killing her right then, but the part of his mind that had been invaded by the Dark Man wanted her to watch Finn suffer.

He picked Marceline up and threw her against the wall. Several paintings fell to the floor around her and Marceline sat up, eyes dazed. She watched in horror as the wizard advanced towards Finn, his sword gleaming. In a movement almost too fast for even a Vampire to see, Ash lashed out with his sword and severed the hero's right arm with the ease of cutting through paper.

"Finn!" Marceline screamed.

He fell to the floor, his face drained of color. Blood poured from the stump where his arm once was, and he stared at the pool it made dumbly. The sound of Ash stomping towards Marceline, however, reminded him of the danger they were in.

"Marcy, run!" Finn yelled, feebly reaching for his sword.

Marceline tried to run, but Ash stuck his foot out and she landed face-first on the floor. He knelt down beside her and she rolled over to face him.

"Hey babe," Ash whispered, cupping Marceline's face with his hands. "I've missed you. Why'd you run away from me?"

"Fuck off."

Ash smiled and ran his hand down her neck, lingering at her fang marks, stopping for a brief moment squeeze her breast. Marceline squirmed underneath him as she felt his uncomfortably warm fingers continue to trail down her body and settle on her protruding stomach.

"How's our precious child?" Ash cooed. "Daddy's here."

"Stay away from us!" Marceline yelled.

Suddenly, the Vampire was fiercely protective of her child. She brought her knee up as hard as she could into Ash's crotch. He lost his balance and rolled over onto the ground, his face twisted in pain. Marceline crawled over to Finn and discovered that he was unconscious. Desperately, she tried to wake him. When that didn't work, she threw his arm around her shoulder and tried to drag him into the bathroom where she could lock Ash out. She hadn't got far when Marceline heard Ash's heavy footsteps behind her.

She clung to Finn's limp body, one hand protectively on her stomach. She was waiting for Ash's sword to send her to darkness, but the darkness never came. Instead, there was an explosion and a blinding flash of light. Marceline looked up to see her father, in his monstrous form, clutching Ash in one of his thick tentacles.

Ash tried to fight against Hunson, but the Demon was too powerful. He wrapped a second tentacle around the wizard's neck and tightened it slowly before violently ripping his head from his neck. Marceline watched, an odd mix of horror and happiness stirring inside her. She looked up and saw Finn, his face unnaturally pale. The Vampire hid her face in his chest, and a dreamless unconsciousness overcame her.

Finn was floating through the darkness among thousands of stars, yet he felt unafraid. Suddenly, a feathered wing shot out from the black expanse and Finn was looking up at the large owl that had visited him in his dreams so many times before.

"The Holy Mother is safe for now," the Cosmic Owl said. "But there is still danger in her future. You must keep her and her child safe at all costs. The son she is carrying will save Ooo and usher in a new time of prosperity and peace. It is now your duty to protect them. Can you do this, young hero?"

"Of course," Finn said. "I love her and I'll never let anyone hurt her again!"

"The universe thanks you, Finn the Human. Your task begins now."

The Cosmic Owl opened his wing and Finn was falling. When he hit the ground, he opened his uninjured eye and looked around the sterile, white room. His eye fell on Marceline, who was sleeping in a recliner by his bedside, an open book in her hand.

"Marcy?" Finn whispered, realizing his voice was quite hoarse. "Marcy? Wake up!"

Marceline sat up in the recliner and looked vaguely confused for a moment. Then she saw Finn's tousled hair and bandaged face, and everything rushed back to her: Ash's attack, waking up in an unfamiliar hospital, and the hours she had sat by Finn's bedside since she was deemed healthy.

"What happened, Marcy?" Finn asked. "I mean, I know about my arm and all that junk but after that? Is PB okay? And Simon and your dad? Did they catch Ash? Have you heard anything about Jake? Did-"

"Whoa, slow down, hero," Marceline said. "Bonnie is in the next room resting; Ash put her under a spell that causes pain, but she's recovering now. Simon shattered his femur and got some internal injuries, but they say he'll be fine. Dad didn't get hurt; he made sure we don't have to worry about Ash anymore. They haven't been able to reverse the paralysis spell on Jake, but they're still working."

"And you? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. Doctor Princess did another ultrasound and she says the baby is stronger than she could have imagined. I…I think I'm happy about that."

"That's great," Finn said, smiling up at Marceline.

He patted a place next to him on the bed and Marceline sat down. They sat in silence for a moment, and Finn could tell that the queen was struggling to put her thoughts into words. He held out his remaining hand. Marceline grasped it and took a deep breath.

"It won't be too long before the baby is born and…Well, it's hard to raise a kid by yourself and…Since Ash is gone I was just thinking…It's stupid, but I was wondering if you might want to be there sometime. You know, to be a good influence. On both of us. If you want to, I mean."

Finn pulled Marceline close to him.

"Don't worry, Marcy. I'll be there. Always"

"Thanks," Marceline said, her face relaxing with relief. "Dweeb."

Finn smiled and his lips gently met with hers. Her stomach pressed against his, and he felt the first movements of the child who would one day become the greatest hero Ooo had ever seen. He thought of his dreams; they were muddled now, but he couldn't help but shake the feeling that something huge had been set in motion.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! This has been the first story after a long break, and you guys have encouraged me to write more. If you are interested in a sequel, leave a review and let me know!**


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